Display cabinet



2 Sheets-511681.l 1

Filed DGG- 6. 1954 Anf/O INVENToR Pobf/' 5. Wer/ch Hyman/Ey;

F"1|S E United Statesh Patent (l)v DISPLAY CABINET Application December 6, 1954, Serial No. 473,229

z claims. (c1. 31a-12o) This invention relates to display racks and particularly to devices of this kind which are adapted to be used to display numerous items of the same general character whereby a number of these items may be displayed simultaneously or selected ones may be displayed simultaneously.

For example, it has been found that in the displaying of certain -items such as cremation urns, burial markers and stones, etc. it is desirable to have exemplars of each of thevarious types and styles of devices available for display without having them displayed in .such great abundance as to confuse the purchaser or result in a cluttered sales or display room. -In addition where numerous similar devices of -this kind are to be displayed, they vary in price, size, and in other` ways, and a salesman may desire to direct the prospective purchasers attention to particular sizes or styles or to devices in a particular price range without having to display other devices. Moreover, under other conditions it may be desirable to display one, two or many of the devices simultaneously lor, in order to assist the purchaser in narrowing his selection, to display only two, for example, of the devices simultaneously.

Itis an object of this invention to provide a type of supply and storage device which, when it is in inoperative position will effectively conceal all of the devices to be displayed and will present merely a panelled surface broken by the outlines of the storage or display cells or units.

It is a further object of this invention to provide a device of this kind in which selected cells or units may be opened or closed that is, turned to operative or display position or returned to inoperative or storage position.

lIt is a further object of 'this invention to provide groups of storage or display cells or units which may be joined together with any pre-determined pattern of sizes.-

Other objects and advantagesV will appear from the following speciication taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which:

Figure y1 represents a front view of `a plurality of my display and storage 'units placed against a wall, for example;

Figure 2 represents a cross sectional detail taken along the line 2-2 of Figure l;

Figure 3 represents a cross sectional detail taken along 'the line 3-3 of Figure 2;

Figure 4 represents a cross sectional detail taken along the line 4-4 of Figure 1; and

Figure 5 represents a modication of a device illustrated in -Figures 1 and 2 and particularly in that a small display cell is provided in the face `of the unit.

As illustrated in Figure 1 my device consists of a plurality of similar, and in some cases identical, storage or display units 10, cach of which is provided with a front panel 11. The front panels 11 of all `of the members may be made of similar material and, as shown in Figures 1, 2, 3 and 4, an opaque material, so that when a plurality of them are positioned as illustrated in Figure 1, they form a pleasing and harmonious surface. l have Tice , 2 v found that matched wood surfaces give -a most harmonious and pleasing effect.

The units 10 may ultimately be made in any particular size. and shape and theV arrangement illustratedin Figure 1 is illustrative only. For example, it should benoted that -those members illustrated in Figure 1 rest upon lower or bottom cabinets 12 which are provided with hinged doorsx13. v

As .illustrated particularly in Figures 2 and 4 eachfof the cells 10 comprises generally -a ve sided enclosure consisting tof a rear wall 16, a pair of side walls 17, bottom wall 18 and top wall 19. This ve sided member may be formed of metal or wood, or in some cases of plastic, the particular material being ya matter of little consequence, provided, however, that the material is suiciently sturdy for thepurpose for which itis intended. As illustrated herein walls `are made of met-al and provide a rigid assembly. d The front wall 11 may be secured to the rear wall 16 in yany suitable manner as, for example, by the screws 21. The lower wall 18 is shown provided with an extension 18a which, together with the wall 18, is adapted to support the merchandise or other items to be displayed.

The :assembly or unit 10 is mounted for rotation about the axis 22. A metal pad 23 may be fastened to the lower wall 18. It may, in turn, rest upon a similar pad 24 which is securedv'to a horizontal framework structure 26. A threaded member 27 is secured to the under side ofthe pad 27 in any suitable manner as, for example, by welding, and is adapted to receive a similarly and cooperatively threaded member 28. The member 28 is accommodated in a recess in the members 18 and 23 and forms a lower pivotabout which the cell 10 may rotate. The upper wall 19 is provided with a similar pad 31. A pad 32 is secured to an upper parallel horizontal member 26 and is also provided with a threaded member 33 which is secured thereto. A bolt 34 which is accommodated within a recess in the members 19 and 31 is threadedly mounted inthe member 33 and provides an upper pivot for the cell or unit.

It will be noted thatthe yaxis of rotation of the member 10 is equidistant from the sides of the opening within which the unit is mounted. However the axis of rotation is also such that when the unit is moved from the position illustrated in Figure l through the dotted line position illustrated in Figure 2, a substantial portion of the side walls 17 and the bottom wall 18 and its extension 18a extend forwardly of -the entire :assembly of units in such a manner that the merchandise or other articles mounted `on the 1iioor 18 and 18a is projected forwardly from the wall illustrated in Figure l. I'provide a stop V36 which is secured to the lower structural member 26. A pair of depending stops 37 and 38 are provided on the unit 10. Stop 37 is so positioned that when the Vdevice is'in inoperative or non-display position it engages the stop 36 and retains the unit in' substantially the position illustrated in Figures 1 `and 2. Stop 38 is so positioned, however, that when the device is in operative or display position, it engages the stop 36 and retains the unit in pre-determined proper display position.

'I'he units 10 are adapted to be supported on a framework which consists generally of a plurality of vertical and horizontal members. The horizontal members 26 have previously been pointed out and described and they support the units or cells. The members 41 form vertical supports for the horizontal members 26. Both the members 26 and 41 are provided with an exposed molding 42 which serves to enhance the beauty of the entire assembly.

The members 42 and the surfaces 11 may be formed of the same material so that they present a more or less uniform appearance or, they may be made of dierent material to provide various designs. At any rate, however, they combine to form a substantially planar surface .when allof .the members .are in inoperative or -storage willucombine to providea substantially .planar :and uniform iront, and .all ,of the :memberswhich are to be displayed are concealed. When .it is desired `that a particular item be .displayed however, specified `members -10-'may.berotated about their -axes 22 so that the member is displayed as illustrated in -the lower portion of Fig* ure 4,1thatris, with the oor portion of the cell 18 ex tending forwardly of the general plane of the members 11 and with the displayed member positioned generally in a `suitable display position. By altering its vspecific position upon the floor 18 or the extension 18a, of course, the article to be displayed may be urged forwardly into the area immediately in front of the wall formed by the `members 11er, if it is an item 'which is more exotically displayed Ab y being recessed, itmay be positioned on the iioor 18 in such a manner that -it appears to b e recessed. v

The unit 10 is rotated until lthe stop 38 engages the stop 36 Vat which time the wall 11 of the rotated member is substantially parallel lto the position which it occupied in the `non-display position. When -it is -desired -that that particular item no longer be displayed, the unit -10 may again be rotated about the axis 2 2 until the stop'f37 engages the stop 36 at which time the surface 11 will again loccupy the same plane as the other surfaces 11l when in non-display position.

In the modification illustrated in Figure 5, Ihave provided a modification in which the wall 11 is provided with a recess 51. The recess 51 is surrounded on ve sides by opaque walls 52 and on the front side is provided with a transparent member 53 so that the contents of ythe area 51 may be observed. The area 18 provides a -storage'space This modification is particularly adaptable for ;use in connection with the merchandising of small items, a Vsingle exemplar of which may be placed in the area 51 for observation. While the .device may be observed it will, of course, be beyond the reach ofprying fingers and shop litters. On the other hand, a plurality of similar items may be retained on the storage space formed by the floor 18 so that when a customer .has selected a particular item, the unit 10 displaying such `an `item in its display area 51 may simply'be rotated in the manner previously described and one of .the similar items removed from the storage area 18.

I claim:

l. VAIn .a display cabinet a framework Ainclildilig a Plit-` rality of horizontal and vertical members dening a plu- Y rality of recesses, the front edges of said horizontal and vertical members deining a vertical plane, said framework also including a molding secured to the front Vedges of said horizontal. and vertical members to form a planar front wall having openings therein communicating with said recesses, a display .unit mounted in each of said recesses, each of said display unitsV comprising a rear Wall, horizontal top and bottom walls, `and a `pairfzof vertical side walls dening an open-faced display rcublial,`

a front panel mounted on said rear wall, each of said frontfpanels and rear wall having an opening therein, a

transparent member mounted in said front panel and closing the opening in said front panel, an opaque threesided member mounted in the opening in said rear wall y v and front panel to the rear of said transparent member,`

saidV three-,sided member having an open .end facing-.the transparent member. so that varticles stored `within the panel mounted on the .rear wall of the display unit being ilush with the molding forming thev front wall of the framework, and yin 'anopen position :the open face of thek display cubical vfacing the` .opening communicating the recess.

2.A display cabinet as in claim `l .togetherwithapair` of stops mounted on each .of ysaid display -unitsy'anda third Jstop mounted on vsaid framework within Aeach of said recesses, .one of the first named stops being adapted to .engage said third stop when the display unit is lin -a closed position and the other of said first named stops beingadapted ito engage said third stop when the display unit isin an open position, :and wherein said bottom walls of each display unit yis yprovided with an extended portion, lthe extended portion projecting through and extending beyond the opening in the front -wa-ll commu'- nicating with the recess when the display unit -isan open position. 

